Menma, Naruto, and Danzo

Because he had invited Naruto over to play at his house.

Uzumaki Menma could only steel himself and take Naruto to Root.

As they walked, Uzumaki Menma kept comforting himself inwardly.

Lord Danzo looked pretty fierce, but he had never refused me before. If I act cute later, I should be able to muddle through, right?

Meanwhile, Naruto had no idea what kind of den of wolves and tigers he was about to enter. He was still looking forward to it.

Before long.

Uzumaki Menma led Naruto to the verge of arriving at Root.

Before they reached Root's entrance, Uzumaki Menma instructed, "Naruto, remember this. No matter what happens or what you see later, don't say anything, understand?"

Not knowing why, Naruto did not understand why Uzumaki Menma was so nervous, but he still nodded. "Okay."

Just as Uzumaki Menma brought Naruto to Root's entrance, two masked Root shinobi appeared and blocked their path.

"Hm? Young Master Menma?"

The two Root shinobi were thoroughly puzzled.

Shouldn't Uzumaki Menma have been in Root? Why had he returned from outside, and why had he brought...

The two Root shinobi stared wide-eyed at Naruto.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!

Uzumaki Menma scratched his head and asked tentatively, "Ha, I went out to have a little fun and met a new friend. I wanted to bring my new friend home to play. That should be fine, right?"

The two Root shinobi looked at Uzumaki Menma with admiration.

As expected of Lord Danzo's grandson, Young Master Menma. He even brought the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki into Root.

The Root shinobi immediately opened Root's gates and let Uzumaki Menma and Naruto enter.

Naruto was curious about everything in Root, looking left and right.

Naruto exclaimed, "Menma, your house is so big."

"Big? It's alright, I guess."

Uzumaki Menma had no mind to answer Naruto right now. His heart was filled with unease as he thought about how to face Danzo later.

Inside Danzo's office.

Danzo rubbed his throbbing temples as he looked at the uneasy Uzumaki Menma before him, as well as Naruto, who was staring at him curiously.

"So, you secretly slipped out of Root, then brought him back to Root. Is that correct?"

Danzo's head was about to split in two.

Konoha's two Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were now both in Root.

Yet Danzo felt not the slightest joy. Instead, he found it immensely troublesome.

Uzumaki Menma alone was already enough to give Danzo a headache.

He had to endure Hiruzen Sarutobi's surveillance through the Telescope Technique at every moment.

As a result, some of Root's experiments had all come to a halt.

And now Uzumaki Naruto had shown up too. Was Root even supposed to keep operating?

They might as well disband on the spot!

"Ha, I guess that's what happened. Lord Danzo, you aren't angry, are you?" Uzumaki Menma asked cautiously.

Danzo beckoned to Uzumaki Menma. "Come here."

Uzumaki Menma obediently walked over to Danzo.

Danzo suddenly grabbed Uzumaki Menma, pressed him across his lap, raised his palm high, and then...

Danzo smacked Uzumaki Menma's butt over and over with his palm.

"I told you already! Don't leave Root! Don't leave Root! Did you listen with your ass? No one has ever dared defy my decisions! You are the first... the second!"

Danzo felt that he had been far too lax in educating Uzumaki Menma. He had not properly disciplined Uzumaki Menma in three years, and that had made Uzumaki Menma get carried away!

Uzumaki Menma's pig-slaughtering wails echoed through the entire office.

Naruto watched Danzo beating Uzumaki Menma with a bewildered expression, unable to understand why this stern old man, who was about the same age as his Hokage Grandpa, was hitting Uzumaki Menma.

But Naruto's body was always one step ahead of his mind. He had already jumped onto Danzo's desk, pointed his little finger at Danzo, and demanded, "Why are you hitting Menma?"

Danzo looked darkly at Naruto. "What, do you want to take his place?"

Naruto instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his body shuddered involuntarily.

Yet Naruto still gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak despite his fear. "Then I will! Hit me instead!"

Uzumaki Menma immediately panicked.

If his Lord Danzo could beat him, that meant it was not a big deal. A beating would settle it.

Why was Naruto sticking his neck out at a time like this?

Danzo's eyes locked onto Naruto.

Naruto glared back at Danzo without backing down.

Uzumaki Menma felt that he needed to step in and smooth things over.

"Lord Danzo, Naruto is a friend I just met. The moment I saw him, I had this inexplicable feeling that I wanted to be friends with him. He is my first friend, so I wanted to bring him back and make Lord Danzo happy, so you would know that I have a friend."

Danzo lowered his head to look at Uzumaki Menma, who was wearing a flattering smile. All he could think about was Uzumaki Menma's words: He is my first friend, so I wanted to bring him back and make Lord Danzo happy.

So this brat brought him back because he wanted to make me happy...

And that inexplicable desire to befriend him—is it because they are biological brothers...?

Danzo lifted Uzumaki Menma off his lap and set him back on the floor, saying stiffly, "You have one hour."

Uzumaki Menma was instantly overjoyed.

The one hour Danzo had mentioned meant Naruto could play in Root for an hour, then leave safely.

Uzumaki Menma happily pulled Naruto out of the office.

After Uzumaki Menma and Naruto left, Danzo summoned a Root shinobi.

"Go inform Hiruzen. Tell him to come collect him!"

"Yes!"

Just as the Root shinobi was about to leave, Danzo continued, "Have someone prepare some food and send it to those two brats."

After leaving the office, Naruto said with lingering fear, "Your grandpa looks so scary."

Uzumaki Menma's face darkened. "You knew he was scary, yet you still did that? You really aren't afraid of dying, are you?"

Naruto replied foolishly, "Hehe, my head just got hot, and I rushed over."

Uzumaki Menma sighed. "Lord Danzo only looks fierce, but he actually is pretty fierce."

Naruto stared at Uzumaki Menma in utter confusion.

Were you just saying the same thing twice?

After three years in this world, Uzumaki Menma had completely come to regard Root as his home and Danzo as his grandfather.

To Uzumaki Menma, this world was already a brand-new world, not the one from his memories.

Though Danzo always looked at him as if he were fierce and intimidating, Uzumaki Menma could sense Danzo's concern for him.

Perhaps Danzo had already come to regard him as his real grandson as well.

Uzumaki Menma smiled. "Alright, Naruto. Let me show you around Root. This place is really fun!"

Naruto raised his little fist enthusiastically. "Okay!"